The NGO Young Roma, which in Montenegro implements the project “Increasing access and participation of Roma students in secondary education and transition to labor market”, granted by REF through EU Regional Action for Roma Education: Increased Education Opportunities for Roma Students in Western Balkans and Turkey (RARE), has completed the second year of project activities.
In the school year 2019/2020 all Roma and Egyptian secondary school students in Montenegro were included as project beneficiaries – a total of 120 students.
Mentoring support and improved GPA
During the school year all students-beneficiaries received mentoring support in order to attend classes regularly and improve their GPA. Out of the total number of beneficiaries, 115 completed the current grade and transited into the upper one, while 41 students graduated from the secondary school.
Through monitoring and comparing the school success of students during school years 2019/2020 and 2018/2019, it was found that 72 students (which is the number of the renewed beneficiaries for both school years) increased their GPA by 8%, while school dropout decreased.
As the classes were, due to Covid-19 pandemic, organized online during the second school semester in 2020, the project team provided learning equipment (i.e. tablets with free internet access) to all students, involved in remote learning. A total of 40 tablets were secured with the RARE project funding, whereas 75 devices were purchases with funds granted by the U.S. Embassy in Montenegro. Most of the beneficiaries have not previously had the necessary learning equipment and they kindly appreciated the enabled process of their learning through ensuring access to smart devices.
Employment
The final grade students-beneficiaries were trained at the Labor Office in Podgorica with aim to obtain soft skills, necessary for job search upon secondary school graduation, i.e. they had the opportunity to learn how to write a CV, how to search for jobs, how to present themselves to employers as well as the dress code and the appropriate behavior during a job interview.
The discussions and info sessions with students and mentors continued online during the pandemic.
Within the component of employment of high school graduates, the Young Roma conducted consultations with various employers. The Organization managed to secure employment contracts for two secondary school graduates, whose incomes were funded jointly by the Young Roma and the employer. Moreover, 16 other students found jobs on their own and entered the labor market upon graduation with the support of either their schools or the Organization.
As an adjunct, in the school year 2019/2020 eight Roma and Egyptian students were enrolled in tertiary education, which marks significant improvement compared to the year 2018/2019, when no Roma students had been enrolled in any Montenegrin university.
NGO Young Roma continues the project activities until June 30, 2021.
